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by Lum Moe Sing
Can you tell the difference between a fifty cents coin and one dollar coin? Silly question, you may say. But not so if you're visually impaired, and have in addition one or more impairments of some other kind.
That's the brutal truth of life for those who suffer from multiple handicaps. The very simplest of tasks which most of us take for granted may be insurmountable for them, given their additional handicaps like hearing loss, motor problems or learning difficulties.
Take for example, Ng Lay Eng. She's not only blind but deaf as well. Her only communication with the world is through touch. Yet life goes on, even if the odds are steeply stacked. That's reality as I saw it when I spent some time with a group of multiple handicapped individuals.
What struck me most though was how close-knit the group was, despite the varied disabilities of its members. A unique family, gathered for a common reason and united in cause and vision. No doubt, the firm and supportive atmosphere created by the facilitators helped. A simple example may be seen in just whom they entrust the key to the MHTP room where the activities are held.
You guessed it- Lay Eng! By trusting her with responsibility for the key, she and her classmates learned the importance of patience, duty, and teamwork in the things they do.
Also enlightening to see were those who were only mildly mentally challenged help those who were more severely so- a form of the 'buddy' system which the programme encourages.
Andrew Chionh is a good example. In the few hours I spent with them, he, more than any others, helped guide his friends in their movements and activities.He remains popular with his peers, and somewhat of an inspiration to them.
Observing the group, I couldn't help but think how unjust life had been to them. But I also saw that everyone one is gifted in some way. Andrew, for example, hums Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, flawlessly. Also musically inclined is Tan Yean Kiat in his 20s, who played his favorite tune on the piano for me. Believe me, he adores an admiring audience!
Even Lay Eng is blessed with a gift- the gift of touch. Having the ability to sign by touch, she is able to understand what's going on around her, as well as to tell others how she feels. I felt moved to think if she can learn to communicate without sight and sound. It is no simple feat.
Clearly, the Multiply Handicapped Training Programme (MHTP) at SAVH has borne fruit. Every individual, no matter how challenged, has a right to lead life to the fullest. And that's what the sessions aim to give each and every participant.
The camaraderie and determination to overcome life's simplest obstacles is exemplary, the spirit of their success sheer inspiration. I look forward to volunteering with them again in the near future.
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